What we learned in Burlington's 2-0 win over Fort Madison in girls soccer
May 28, 2021.
That date had stuck in the craw of the Burlington High School girls soccer team for 325 long days.
On that day, Brandy Walker's golden goal lifted Fort Madison over a stunned Grayhound team in a Class 2A regional quarterfinal match at Bracewell Stadium.
On Monday, the Southeast Conference rivals returned to the scene of that overtime thriller.
This time, BHS made sure there would be no repeat.
Burlington scored two goals in the first half, then rode its defense and the play of sophomore goalkeeper Jenna Hentzel to a 2-0 victory over the Bloodhounds on a cold, windy evening at Bracewell Stadium.
The win not only avenged Burlington's stinging loss to the Bloodhounds last spring, it also gave the Grayhounds a one-game lead in the Southeast Conference standings nearing the halfway point of the season.
“It was a goal for us because last year we lost to them in substate, which was really hard," said Hentzel, who had three saves, all in the second half. "So to be able to come out here and beat them with a shutout is really good for our team and our morale.”
“It was really big," said BHS freshman Aliyah Snyder, who was moved to sweeper. "This was our most difficult game. Now we’re No. 1 in our conference right now, so that helps a lot. It helps us to improve on what we need to improve on.”
“It’s nice to avenge last year’s loss, but more importantly it gets us a game ahead of everybody for first place in the conference," BHS head coach Jacob Falls said.
Big first half sparks Grayhounds
Playing into a stiff breeze from the northwest didn't seem to hamper the BHS offense in the first 40 minutes.
After a sluggish start, BHS took control with its crisp passing game, playing the possession-style attack Falls and assistant coach Wil Wiemann work on with the team every day in practice.
It paid off in the eighth minute when Kevynn Siefken made a run up the right side and sent a pass to Josephine Blazic. Blazic did the rest, sending a bender that found the right side of the net to give the Grayhounds a 1-0 lead.
BHS made it 2-0 just before halftime. This time, freshman Sophie Brown outran the Fort Madison defense up the right side, then sent a nifty crossing pass to Siefken, who one-timed the ball past goalkeeper Taylor Johnson to complete the scoring.
"In the first half they controlled the ball. The second half flipped and we controlled the ball. They were mirror halves," Fort Madison head coach Carrie Burken said. "The difference was they were able to connect on their chances and we didn't."
More than a few anxious moments
Burlington got its biggest scare of the night in the seventh minute of the second half. Blazic, battling for possession in the midfield, took a hard tackle from a Fort Madison player, leaving Blazic writhing in pain on the turf.
Blazic, after being tended to by trainer Kyle Peterson, was helped off the field with an apparent injury to her left knee.
Blazic would return to the pitch later in the half with athletic tape on her left leg. Peterson was applying ice to Blazic's knee after the match.
“I had to hold my breath," Falls said. "When she said she was ready to check back in, I told her to check with KP and make sure she was good to go. It’s a conference game. She wanted to get back in. We were struggling to control the ball. She wanted to go. We’ll monitor her going forward.”
Bloodhounds turn up the heat
Outplayed for much of the opening 40 minutes, Fort Madison turned the tables in the second half. After being held without a shot in the first half, the Bloodhounds fired off four shots on the BHS net in the second half.
The key for the turnaround was the Bloodhounds' ability to control play in the midfield, giving Teagan Snaadt and Natalie Randolph numerous looks at the goal.
"We didn't play well Thursday against Keokuk, either," Burken said. "That second half was the best we have played in a couple matches. I think playing against quality teams really helps. It shows us where we need to improve. It shows us coaches what we need to work on in practice and it shows the girls areas they need to improve in individually."
Johnson, after yielding two goals in the first half, came up with two big saves in the second half to keep her team in the match.
"Taylor isn't someone who has a lot of self-confidence," Burken said. "She's getting the hang of it. She's never played goalie before this year. Her natural athletic ability really helps with that stuff."
On the horizon
Fort Madison (3-2 overall, 3-1 Southeast Conference) plays Thursday at Mount Pleasant.
Burlington (4-0, 4-0), after playing at Mediapolis on Tuesday, visits Washington on Thursday. It is the start of seven straight road matches for the Grayhounds, who don't have another scheduled home match until May 9.
Matt Levins is a sports reporter for the USA TODAY Network in Burlington, Iowa, who has covered local sports for 31 years. Reach him at mlevins@thehawkeye.com.
By the numbers
Burlington 2, Fort Madison 0
Fort Madison 0 0 — 0
Burlington 2 0 — 2
Scoring summary
BHS — 32:12 first half, Josephine Blazic from Kevyn Siefken. BHS — 9:14 first half, Siefken from Sophie Brown.
MATCH STATISTICS
FM. BHS
Shots. 4. 7
Saves. 3. 3
Fouls. 6. 6
Offsides 0. 2
Free kicks. 8 6
Corner kicks. 7. 3
Penalty kicks. 0. 0
Goal kicks. 20. 19
Yellow cards. 0 0
Red cards. 0. 0
Records: Fort Madison 3-2 overall (3-1 Southeast Conference); Burlington 4-0 (4-0).
This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: Burlington turns tables on Fort Madison in girls soccer victory
